South Africa drugs safe- Ranbaxy
June 3, 2013, 8:23 am

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The South African subsidiary of Indian drug maker Ranbaxy, has assured the public that drugs manufactured locally are safe, days after the Indian firm paid a fine of $500 million in the US after pleading guilty to charges of making and selling adulterated drugs.

Ranbaxy South Africa holds a 68 per cent stake in Sonke Pharmaceuticals, while Community Investment Holdings (CIH) holds the rest.

Sonke Pharmaceuticals won a major tender in 2010 to supply antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the government hospitals in South Africa.

Ranbaxy USA recently pleaded guilty to three felony counts under the US Federal Food Drug and Cosmetics Act (FDCA), of making sub-standard drugs.

“All Ranbaxy products distributed to the South African public are, and have been, safe, including from the year 2010 and forward,” said Dale Adkisson, executive head of global quality at Ranbaxy, adding that they were in compliance with the terms and conditions of Ranbaxy’s government-approved applications.

Anna Mokgokong, chairwoman of CIH also assured that the drugs made by Sonke Pharmaceuticals in South African markets are safe.

“The US case has absolutely nothing to do with Sonke Pharmaceuticals or any South African operations. Other than this joint venture (with Sonke Pharmaceuticals), CIH has no other relationship with Ranbaxy,” Mokgokong added.

57 founding members, many of them prominent US allies, will sign into creation the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Monday, the first major global financial instrument independent from the Bretton Woods system.

Representatives of the countries will meet in Beijing on Monday to sign an agreement of the bank, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. All the five BRICS countries are also joining the new infrastructure investment bank.

The agreement on the $100 billion AIIB will then have to be ratified by the parliaments of the founding members, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing in Beijing.

The AIIB is also the first major multilateral development bank in a generation that provides an avenue for China to strengthen its presence in the world’s fastest-growing region.